Fender Acoustisonic?

[steve_man]

Hello, don't post much in this forum, but I've got a question for you. I am looking for a good acoustic amp, and I tried a Fender Acoustisonic 30 amp yesterday, and it sounded pretty good. I am curious to know if any of you have experience with this amp. Any other suggestions?

 

I don't want to spend a lot, and I don't want a large amp to carry around.

[C70man]

All i can say is that i see a number of them out and about...They sound pretty good. I have considered one myself...just haven't pulled the trigger. Increasing the guitar herd is more important than adding an amp right now.

[missedmyexit]

I was looking at this one when I went shopping for a amp. I decided on a Crate 30a. I just couldn't find anything worth justifying the large difference in the money. The Fender has alot of effects which seemed cool at first but I know that after the newness of them wear off I'ld likely never use them.

[totamus]

I have tried several. I had a Behringer ACX1000 and now I have a Crate telluride.

 

The Behringer actually sounded quite good, but I hated the LED display for the DSP and found the overall user interface (knobs, front panel) poor. Doc Watson uses a Crate and so does Jerry Douglas. With that kind of usage I had to pay attention. I have played through the Fenders and found them to be OK, but not great. I love the Crate and wouldnt have anything else.

 

I also have a Crate Limo (Small, battery or AC power) that also does a nice job on acoustic guitar. If I only had one amp, it would the Limo because it so versatile. I can use it for bluesy guitar with my 335 clone, for acoustic amplification, for vocal, as a powered monitor, or as a complete PA for small venues. But for an amp dedicated to the acoustic guitar, my personal preference is the Telluride from Crate. The Limo has a permanent place in my living room. The Telluride is packed away for gigs.

 

If you want to most bang for the buck, the Behringer really sounded pretty good - for the price.

 

Let us know what you wind up with

[daklander]

Another vote for the Crate. I have not been all that enthralled with the sound of an Acoustisonic. I think they are only average compared to some other amps, including the Crate units.

[JaLester]

I'm not trying to be different, but I have never liked using the fender acoustisonic 30. On more than one occaison I have run into headroom problems with the amp and have had clipping issues at normal volume levels. From a technical aspect, I would almost recommend anything other than an acousticsonic 30 or jr amplifier. The components are very cheap including the speakers (which have foam surrounds and sound muddy), amplifier (very underpowered at 30 solid state watts), power supply (incredibly small transformer), effects unit (8-bit effects chip), and even the knobs and pots. When the effects work they are only decent at best, but at 400 dollars it is extremely over priced. I agree that the crate is a better buy, and if you are looking to spend a little more, there are plenty of much better amps around the 500 dollar range. It's just my opinion, and if you ask my wife, it don't mean much.

[outdoorgb]

Steve-Man

 

I am truely not the expert in this field but I too recenly test drove a list of acoustic amps in the $150 to $350 range. I came home with Marshall AS50D.

 

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MSHAS50D

 

These list for about $390, I paid $350 out the door at GC. I picked this over the Fender Acous., Behringer, Ultrasound, and this list of others below the $300 price range. I also drove the Genz Benz Shen Jr. ($435). Just couldn't spend the extra $ for my level of playing. See if the Marshall has the controls you want and test it out.

 

ETA: it is difficult, at least in my area, to test them all in the same place. I burned a 1/2 tank of gas hitting the shops in Portland. Hope your search ends well. Post your outcome.

[pk1fan]

I play through the 100 watt version of this amp http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Traynor-AM50T-50W-1x8-Acoustic-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=481155 , and it sounds natural . Traynor/Yorkville stuff is built tuff . Behringer has a lot of features in its price range but to my ears I like the Traynor better .YMMV .

[DonK]

I owned an Acoustasonic, Jr. for a few years when they were first introduced (didn't have the digital stuff on it). Not a bad amp, but not a great amp either IMO. I've become a big fan of the Utrasound amps, which are the most natural sounding acoustic amps I've come across.

[steve_man]

Wow, thanks guys. I have seen people at concerts using the Crate acoustic amps, but I have never tried one. How do they compare pricewise with the Fenders? I am by no means locked into the Fender. My local shop only had the Fender, an Ibanez, and a Peavey. I used to own a Peavey Ecoustic, but it's too much amp to lug around. I really want the amp to shape the sound of one of my older acoustics. I LOVE to play this guitar, but the preamp is not nearly as good as the one in my newer Carvin. I'm considering selling my Carvin to fund some other stuff, so if I can get my Tak to sound the way I want it to plugged in (sounds amazing unplugged), I wouldn't mind, as I'm not really bonded to the Carvin.

 

I played through one of the Marshall acoustic models a few years ago, and I remember it was amazing. I wanted to buy it then, but I didn't have the cash at the time. Anyone else have any experience with them? What about Genz Benz and Fishman loudboxes?

 

The problem is that I do not have anywhere here that I can try all of these. It may have to wait until I go to the GC in Lubbock next week.

 

Also, I'm not a Behringer fan at all, so those are probably out.

[missedmyexit]

Price wise The Crates are cheaper. I think I paid 120 for my 30watt Crate and it's perfect for what I use it for. It's small definitely easy to travel with. I hear good things about the fishman but it is LARGE and heavy. I played a Marshall forget which one but nothing about it make me want to spend the money over the crate.

[ESL94]

The Crate acoustic amps are good for the $ range.

 

I've played a Fishman Loudbox 100, it was a nice amp. For around $600 you get a 2 channel amp, 3 band EQ, 25lbs. I use a Taylor GS7 & GS8 & got very good clean tones.

 

 

 

If you have some extra cash to spend, try the Rivera Sedona series. My 55 combo is a monster of an amp (very loud). When I use my friends T5 with it, I get a versatility of tones.

[steve_man]

The Crate models sound pretty good to me for the money. I'm not wanting to drop too much change on an acoustic amp, as I don't play acoustic as much as electric.

[guit30]

I tried out a cheap 99 dollar Crate acoustic amp in my local store and it sounded tinny to me

Jim

[steve_man]

That's what I was afraid of. That's what the Ibanez sounded like to me. The Fender just sounded better, IMO.

[daklander]

 

I tried out a cheap 99 dollar Crate acoustic amp in my local store and it sounded tinny to me Jim

 

 

That was probably the CA10 and it is not a good amp, certainly not an amp one would use on a gig, though it's really not a bad amp in it's class.

[steve_man]

How does the CA15 compare to the Taos?

[daklander]

The Taos has better than double the power so you'll certainly have more headroom and it has effects.

I've mucked around with the CA30(Taos) and it's a reasonably good sounding amp. I have not tried out the smaller amps. I personally plug my acoustic direct to my PA so I don't use an acoustic amp. I would not consider anything smaller than 30 amp if I do decide to pursue an acoustic amp. I would use it as a stage monitor and FOH feed, not for FOH itself. A lot of the decision is also going to depend on what you need in the number of channels, what effects & other amenities any given amp has that you want or need, along with the sound of the amp.

[Highway_61]

I had an Ultrasound 30 for a brief while. People rave about that amp, but I didn't share their enthusiasm.

I did like, though, the Genz Benz Shenandoah Jr. That was a great amp.

[Oldskool Texas]

 

I am truely not the expert in this field but I too recenly test drove a list of acoustic amps in the $150 to $350 range. I came home with Marshall AS50D.

 

 

I did the same thing. Great sounding amp, and the vocal channel sounds very good, too. Plenty of power, nice chorus and reverb, notch filter, lightweight and portable. A keeper.

[opencee]

Ultrasound AG-30! Light on features, but also lightweight. Very natural sound. Under $200.

 

I like mine. There is really nothing out there in a low wattage amp that sounds as good in this price range.

 

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/UltraSound-AG30-30W-Acoustic-Guitar-Amp?sku=488500

[steve_man]

That Marshall looks pretty sweet...then again, I'm a sucker for Marshalls...it's all solid state, right?

[roro]

I have, and like the acoustasonic jr. Recently picked up a preamp,and it really helped with the sound and volume.There are good deals on the older non dsp models,on the bay. You still get chorus,and delay, with the older models.

[outdoorgb]

 

That Marshall looks pretty sweet...then again, I'm a sucker for Marshalls...it's all solid state, right?

 

 

 

The Marshall is a solid state unit. I've only had it for 5 days now but I really like the sound...again, my first acoustic amp and it is for home use. Not an expert on the effects at this time so I'm setting everything at 12:00 with no effects on. Sounds beautiful.

 

Drawback for me was no tilt back feature...easily fixed with a trip to the wood shop and cut a piece of black walnut with a 15